How to choose between open or closed bedroom wardrobes

Find the perfect bedroom wardrobes for you with a little help from us

When planning to refresh your bedroom, one of the most important decisions to make is the kind of bedroom wardrobes to have.

In our recent article – Which are the best bedroom wardrobes – freestanding or fitted? – we explained the advantages and disadvantages of both freestanding and fitted wardrobes. 

But did you realise that if you choose fitted bedroom wardrobes, you have the further flexibility of choosing between open or closed wardrobes – or perhaps a bit of both! 

Let’s take a look . . . 

What is the difference between an open and closed wardrobe?

First let’s explain what we mean by open and closed wardrobes.

Open bedroom wardrobes

Open wardrobes do not have wardrobe doors, so that the contents are always on display. Open wardrobes are particularly useful if you have a separate dressing room, but can also look great in a good-sized bedroom. 

Closed bedroom wardrobes

Closed wardrobes have wardrobe doors so that you cannot see the content. Behind the doors could be any combination of hanging space, shelves or drawers. Closed wardrobes tend to be the most popular type of bedroom wardrobe, particularly for smaller spaces.

Open and closed bedroom wardrobes can both be stylish and practical. The best type of wardrobe for you depends on the size and design of your bedroom, and also the amount and type of things that you need to store inside the wardrobe.

Let’s consider some advantages of both types of wardrobe.

Advantages and disadvantages of open bedroom wardrobes

• Advantages
  • Having no wardrobe doors enables you to easily see and access everything in your wardrobe, making the process of choosing clothes and getting dressed quicker and stress-free.
  • An open wardrobe brings a fresh, contemporary, boutique-like feel to your bedroom.
  • A well maintained open wardrobe can become a stylish centrepiece to your bedroom, with space for various other bits and pieces – such as photos, ornaments, plants or artwork – in addition to your clothing.
  • Because there are no wardrobe doors to take up space, an open wardrobe is a much more spacious way of storing your clothes and they are less likely to become creased during storage.

• Disadvantages
  • Whilst it is wonderful being able to see everything in your wardrobe, the fact that it is always on display means that you need to keep it tidy all the time;
  • An open wardrobe offers no privacy at all. Not only do you need to keep it tidy so that it looks good, but also there are no nooks and crannies to store personal items or hide things like surprise gifts or unconfessed purchases.
  • An open wardrobe offers no protection for clothes, for example from dust or exposure to sunlight. Whilst you could put clothing in clothes hanging bags for protection, this would then spoil the aesthetics of an open wardrobe.

Advantages and disadvantages of closed bedroom wardrobes

• Advantages
  • Closed bedroom wardrobes can make your bedroom look neat and tidy whatever is actually happening behind those wardrobe doors! All you need to do is close the door and you will have the smart, stylish door gracing the room with not a trace of clutter visible.
  • A closed wardrobe can be particularly suitable for a smaller bedroom, as the wardrobe doors keep everything out of sight, whereas a completely open wardrobe might be too overpowering for the space available.
  • A closed wardrobe protects your clothes from environmental hazards such as dust and sunlight. It also prevents accidents or spillages that could happen if children or pets were able to access the contents of your wardrobe.
  • Closed bedroom wardrobes offer more privacy than open wardrobes, for you to store your treasured items or keep secrets away from prying eyes.

• Disadvantages
  • With closed wardrobe doors you are not able to see everything in your wardrobe as easily as with open doors. In fact, it can be easy to forget what is lurking at the back, which puts unintended limitations on what you tend to wear.
  • Closed bedroom wardrobes can also sometimes feel a little cramped. It is easier to keep stuffing things in there with a closed wardrobe than an open one, where everything is always on display. This could lead to clothes getting creased whilst hanging up, even needing re-ironing before wear.
  • A closed wardrobe always looks the same, so offers less scope to vary the look and style of your bedroom than an open wardrobe, where you can add different decorative items on a whim. However, do remember that with replacement wardrobe doors it is very easy and cost-effective to change some or all of your wardrobe doors. So for example you could replace a couple of the doors on your closed bedroom wardrobes either in a different colour or perhaps with a glass front, to give your bedroom a bit of a facelift.

Is it possible to have a combination of open and closed wardrobes?

In a word, yes! DIY Homefit supplies a wide range of bedroom wardrobes, and many of our products can either be paired with any of our stunning wardrobe doors or left as open units. This makes it possible for you to choose the perfect combination of open and closed wardrobes that is right for your home.

We hope that this article has given you some useful pointers as to the best type of bedroom wardrobes for your bedroom.

For more ideas about different types of bedroom design, and the ranges of bedroom wardrobes supplied by DIY Homefit, why not take a browse through our gallery of bedroom pictures?

And remember to check back here soon for more home and lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.